Katy and Grace tackle a topic Grace admitted she was nervous to open up about: mission trips. Katy kicks things off with a vivid memory from age 14 — riding bikes across the border into Matamoros, Mexico, on a trip through a St. Louis Christian radio station. From there, the conversation turns into an honest, unresolved wrestling match: the white savior complex, the "photo op" instinct to serve strangers overseas while neighbors down the street go unknown, and whether short-term mission trips do more for the attendees than for the communities they visit. Grace brings the leader's perspective, having taken middle schoolers on trips for years, and names the tension of "who is the mission trip actually for?" when communities cycle through a new group of well-meaning strangers every single week. Katy references an advance copy of Kristin Kobes Du Mez's upcoming book Live, Laugh, Love, and its account of Elizabeth Elliot's disillusionment with missionary culture after the death of her husband Jim. The two land on a shared, if uneasy, conclusion: local, sustained service — even through secular organizations — might do more good than a week away. No neat bow on this one. Just two friends thinking out loud. In this episode: Katy's teenage mission trip to Matamoros, MexicoThe white savior complex and the "photo op" critique of overseas missionsGrace's experience leading middle-school mission tripsThe problem with weekly rotating volunteer groupsElizabeth Elliot's story and Kristin Kobes Du Mez's Live, Laugh, LoveChristian hypocrisy, politics, and "who mission trips are really for"Why local, sustained service might matter more than a week away What we're excited about: Grace: Her adult students' art show, Friday, September 11th — live music, food, and free admissionKaty: The launch of Second Service, a paid Substack community featuring a quarterly book club with live author Q&As Links: Details on Grace's student art show, September 11thJoin Second Service on Substack — bonus episodes, essays, and quarterly author Q&As
